Tie basket



Nov. 24, 1931.

W. H. GRADY TIE BASKET Filed 18, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 232 101 wry;

W. H. GRADY Nov. 24, 1931 TIE BASKET Filed Aug. 18, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 24, 1931. w. H. GRADY 1,833,569

TIE BASKET Filed 18, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet. 3

W H. GRADY Nov. 24,- 1931.

TIE BASKET Filed Aug. 18. 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 amt Ma A? WM Patented Nov. 24, 1931 Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. GRADY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR '10 AMERICAN GREOSOT- ING COMPANY, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE rm BASKET Application filed August 18, 1930. Serial No. 476,184.

This invention relates to the handling of materials and more particularly, to a dev ce to assist in stacking railroad ties and the like into a bundle preparatory to hoistmg them '5 in a sling.

When large numbers of railroad ties are shipped in box cars and similar closed carriers, the unloading and stackm them in storage yards becomes a serious pro lem, particularly in wood preserving plants where a large number of carloads arrive daily. The method generally used is to have two or more men in the car who throw the ties out to the ground. Then two or more men on the ground stack the ties into an orderly bundle and place a sling around it to permlt its removal to a storage stack by a crane. The labor thus required results in a high overhead expense.

An object of this invention is to provide a device by which materials may rapidly and economically be unloaded from a closed carrier.

Another object is to provide a basket into which materials may be directly transferred and be immediately in position to be hoisted in a sling.

A further object is to provide a method of unloading closed carriers which Wlll result 3130 in a great saving of time and labor.

' These and other objects will be apparent from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawings in which,

Figs. 1 and 2 are somewhat diagrammatic 1735 end and plan views, respectively of a yard layout in which the invention is employed.

Fig. 3 a side perspective view of one embodiment of the invention, Fig. 4 a side elevation of the tie basket shown in Fig. 3,

' Fig. 5 a front elevation of another modlfication, having a curved bottom, and

Fig. 6 is an end View showing another embodiment of the invention.

The invention may be best understood by first considering the nature of the problem which it solves. The unloading yard layout which is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is of the type I described in my prior Patent No. 1,67 5,027, and includes a pair of standard gauge tracks 1, 1 and a narrow gauge track 2 between and parallel to tracks 1. The standard gauge tracks carry either the cars 3 which are to be loaded or unloaded or a crane 4 which is employed in handling the ties, poles or other lumber to be treated at the creosoting plant. The general method employed is to stack the incomin ties T on the storage piles 5, from which tiey are trans ferred to small cars running on the narrow gauge track 2. Throughout these operations the ties are handled in groups or bundles 6 by the traveling crane 4, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. As stated above, considerable time and labor has been required to unload the ties from box cars or other closed carriers and to group them in bundles.

In accordance with the present invention, the ties T are unloaded from the cars 3 into stacking devices or baskets 7, the baskets being of such design that a sling 8 may be passed around the ties T to form them into a bundle 6 for removal by the crane 4.

The type of basket shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has a fiat rearwardly sloping floor 8 reinforced by steel angles 9. The side channels ':10 are bent, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby to provide a space between the side walls 11 and the channel 10 for purposes hereinafter described. The side walls slope outwardly as they rise from the floor 1, to guide the ties being placed in the basket and also to prevent binding when they are removed from the basket. A section of steel angle 12 is fastened to the bottom of each front support 13 to serve as front feet for the basket. The rear ground support is in the form of an angle 14 adapted to rest on a nearby rail of track 2. However, any suitable legs may be used if so desired. The back 15 may be of any suitable construction and is here shown reinforced by angles 16.

To facilitate the passing of the sling 8 under the bundle, a channel 17 is provided and the sides 11 are divided into two sections by a slot 18. By threading a sling through the channel, and bringing the ends up through the spaces left between the bent channels 10 and the side walls 11, the sling. may be placed around the ties in the basket. 100

' ,for operation on the narrow gauge track 2,

The bundle of ties can then be lifted free from the basket by means of a crane 4. The reversely bent ends 19 and 20 of the front and rear sections of the bottom 8 serve as guides to prevent the sling from catching when it is lifted. The rearward bent end 20 is somewhat lower than the, end 19 toprevent a tie when sliding down the floor 1, from being caught against the rear section of the floor 8.

The modification shown in Fig. 5 may also be used. This basket differs from the one just described only in that the bottom 21 and its reinforcing angles"22:- are curved instead of flat. In all other respects itmaybe and preferably is unchanged from theforntshown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The brackets 23 attached to the bottom of the basket support journals 24 which in turn support wheels 25. In this case a roller table 26 is placed between the basket 7 and the carrier 3 which is to be unloaded. Auxiliary legs 27 and 28 are hinged at the front and rear of the basket to be swung into active position when the basket is placed before a carrier for use. Strain upon the wheels, as the ties are thrown into the basket, may thereby be avoided.

It has been found that it is most convenient to position the basket from twelve to eighteen inches from the carrier 3-or roller table 26, when one is used, with the'bottom about three feet below the level of the car floor. For the handling of railroad ties, a satisfactory size for the basket has been found to be seven feet wide, eight feet long and three feet deep.

One method of use, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is as follows: One man in the carrier with the aid of suitable hand tools skids the ties T endwise out of the carrier door into the basket 7 placed as above described, before the door.

Since the basket is Well below the level of the carrier floor, the ties easily slide from the carrier to the rear of the basket and no additional labor is required to straighten or form the ties into a bundle.

When the basket is filled the sling 8 is threaded through the slot below the basket and fitted along the slots in the sides of the box cars can be unloaded in each ten hour day.

When the baskets are mounted on wheels as shown in Fig. 6, basket loads of ties may be transferred to any part of the yard before they are unloaded to storage stacks.

In the event that an unloading or storage yard is not equipped with a layout of tracks and storage facilities such as shown in Fig. 2, the baskets may be permanently placed on each side of a section of track. The loaded carriers are emptied into the baskets and the empty carriers are removed. 5 A traveling craneis then moved on the same section of track to unload the baskets and stack the ties. Although the invention has been described in connection. with the handling of railroad that the baskets may be employed to simplify As shown in Fig. 6, either of the baskets eh ndling of other articles which are to be above-described may be mounted on wheels.

sisting of two portions, a channel in alignment withsaid side slots oining said bottom portions, and members connecting the two portions of the respective side wallsand spaced from the edges thereof which define the said slots.

2. A portable basket of the type described, having upwardly diverging side walls, a slot dividing each ofsaid side walls into two portions, a rearwardly sloping bottom wallconsisting of two portions, a channel in align-- ment with said side slots joining said bottom portions, members connecting the two portions of the respective side walls and spaced from the edges thereof which'define'the said slots, each of said portions of the bottom gated articles introduced into the basket from the open end thereof, characterized by the fact that each'of said side walls and the bottom wall comprises two portions whose adjacent edges are spaced apart to provide a gap extending continuously across the sides and bottom of said basket, ribs secured to the exterior of one of the divided walls adjacent the spaced edges of the gap, and means connecting the two portions of the said divided walls to each other, said means including said ribs and a member secured thereto and spaced from said divided wall.

4. A portable basket of the type described, having upwardly diverging side walls, one end wall, a bottom wall sloping downward 

